French lentil terrine with creamy carrot custard and sauteed leek-zucchini topping

August 16, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

These are lovely, easy and healthy and are also great to take on picnics. The jars are gorgeous and I found them on a website called;

Home

They are a German brand, stocking all sorts of shapes and are so attractive looking.
You can make these in advance up to 3 days, cover them and refrigerate. Take them out about 30 mins before serving to allow them to come up to room temperature.
There are several stages to this dish, hence the pretty layers, but they are simple.

**There is one step in this preparation that can make it even more simple.
In Los Angeles we can buy pre-cooked vacuum packed puy lentils in our supermarkets that are already seasoned.
Instead of making them from scratch, you can buy 1 packet of these, (you need 2 &1/4 cups of the cooked ones) put them into a microwaveable dish, break them up a bit gently with a fork and reheat. Let come to room temp, fluffing up the lentils to break up the lumps, then proceed with adding the goat cheese and cream etc…

8 1/4 cups water
8 oz carrots (about 3 medium) peeled and diced small
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more if needed
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream
1 large egg
1 tbsp olive oil
1lb plus 10 oz leeks (about 2 -3 medium) quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise (white and light green parts only)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
10 oz zucchini (about 2 medium) trimmed and diced small
1 cup French Puy lentils, rinsed
1 bay leaf
1 medium garlic clove, smashed and peeled
4 oz fresh goat cheese, at room temp

Heat the oven to 325 F and arrange a rack in the middle. Bring 8 cups of the water to a simmer in a large saucepan over high heat; keep at a simmer.

Meanwhile, bring the remaining 1/4 cup of water to a simmer in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and 1/2 tsp of the salt and season with pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1/2 cup of the carrots to a small bowl and transfer the remaining carrots to a blender, leaving any excess water in the pan; set both aside. Reserve the carrot juices in a small bowl, wipe out the frying pan and set aside.

Place 1 cup of the cream and the egg in the blender with the carrots, season and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Evenly divide the carrot-cream mixture among 6 (1/2 pint) tempered-glass jars. Divide the reserved 1/2 cup carrots among the jars. Evenly space the jars in a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.
Being careful not to get water inside the jars, add enough of the simmering water to the baking dish so that it reaches just past the carrot mixture in the jars.
Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and carefully transfer it to the oven.
bake until the outer 1 inch of each carrot custard is set (the centers will be still slightly jiggly), about 25 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in the reserved frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the leeks and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to soften, about 6 minutes.
Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is crisp-tender and the leeks are completely softened, about 4 minutes more.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Place the lentils, bay leaf and garlic in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches.
Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are still slightly hard in the center, about 10 minutes.
Add the remaining teaspoon of the measured salt, stir to combine and continue to simmer until the lentils are just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes more.
Drain though a large fine-mesh strainer.
Remove the garlic clove and bay leaf and transfer the lentils to a medium bowl.
Add the goat cheese and the remaining 2 tbsp cream, adjust seasonings if necessary and stir to evenly combine; set aside.

When the carrot custards are ready, carefully remove the jars from the hot water and transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.

To assemble the terrines, divide all of the lentil-goat cheese mixture over the carrot custards, using your fingertips to gently smooth it into an even layer.
Divide all of the leek-zucchini mixture over the lentil-goat cheese mixture.
Serve warm or at rom temperature, or let the terrines cool completely, cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days

Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related · Whole30 compliant

Oven roasted ratatouille

June 16, 2013January 7, 2017 Belinda

This is the very best recipe for ratatouille that cooks all together, has that toasty flavor and is packed with garilcky, basil flavors. You can double or treble this or even make it for a crowd, spreading it out over baking sheets. It’s also great at room temperature and so easy to prepare.
All you need is some great tapenade, good bread and a BBQ boned and marinated leg of New Zealand lamb and you’re in heaven!!

Serves 4

1lb cherry tomatoes, whole or small tomatoes, halved
3 -4 medium zucchinis
1 medium eggplant
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1inch squares
1 yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 1 inch squares
4 fat cloves garlic, chopped small
1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch squares
1 small red onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch squares
6 tbsp good olive oil (or more if you want)
1 large handful of fresh basil leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper (plenty)

For a less traditional Ratatouille, you may want to try cauliflower florets, leeks, chopped into 1″ cubes or butternut squash also cut into 1″ cubes.

You will need a large shallow roasting roasting tin, about 16″ by 12″ or so
Preheat the oven to the highest setting

Gently put the tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, peppers, onions and any other vegetables you use in a very large bowl and sprinkle over the chopped garlic. Roughly tear up the basil and sprinkle over the vegetables with the olive oil. Make sure all the vegetables are well coated with the oil and finally season really well with salt and pepper. Toss really gently until everything is well incorporated ( I like to do this with my hands, it’s gentler and easier and fun.) and then gently tip out onto a large baking shallow sided baking tray.
Roast on the highest shelf in the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are roasted and tinged with brown at the edges.
Remove from the oven and serve straight away.

Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead · Egg based · Vegetable-related

Provencal Golden Zucchini Galette

December 4, 2012June 4, 2023 Belinda

Serves 4 – 6

Tasting this transports you immediately to the South of France, sitting outside at a large table with many bottles of Rose, great bread, salads and the sun streaming down.
I have made this recipe so many times, often for house concerts and it’s just as good hot as it is room temperature.
It works incredibly well on a buffet table and the light curry flavor is very important as it gives that certain “Je ne c’est quoi”
I have also doubled, tripled and quadrupled this recipe for large gatherings and it’s still fabulous.

1lb zucchini
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (Don’t cheat and use ready grated Parmesan)
1 tsp curry powder

Preheat the oven to 375F,
Using the coarse grating blade on a food processor, coarsely grate the zucchini.
Transfer the zucchini to a colander, sprinkle with 1 tsp of the salt and let sit to drain for 30 minutes.
Rinse the zucchini under cold running water, the put a good sized mound of it on an absorbent dish towel, gather it up and squeeze the heck out of it so there is lots of juice running out. Repeat until you’ve done all the zucchini and set it aside in a bowl.
This is an important stage as the galette will be too “runny” with juice it you don’t do this and it won’t set properly.

Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat lightly with a fork.
Add the breadcrumbs, cheese, curry powder and final tsp of salt.
Add the zucchini and stir to thoroughly coat the zucchini with the batter.
Place in a butter-greased baking dish and even out with the back of a spatula.
Place in the center of the oven and bake until golden and firm to the touch in the middle, about 30- 40 minutes.
At this point you can keep it warm in a warming drawer until ready to serve or it’s even nice at room temp.

Vegetable-related

Roasted vegetable couscous salad with harissa-style dressing

October 7, 2012 Belinda

This is a truly different and flavorful salad, actually it’s a complete meal in itself with the complex layers of flavors from the couscous to the roasted vegetables then the light sprinkling of the harissa-kissed greens on top. If you use vegetable stock it is certainly one of the best vegetarian dishes around.

Serves 4 as a main course

Roasted vegetables
1lb cherry tomatoes
1 small eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1 small red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 small yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 large onion, sliced and cut into 1-inch squares
4 fat cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
small handful fresh basil leaves, torn
salt and pepper

Couscous
10 oz couscous
18 fl oz vegetable stock (or chicken stock) put on the heat to boil
4 oz firm goat cheese
salt and pepper

Salad
1 4oz bag mixed spicy greens

Dressing
4 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
1 rounded tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 heaped tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx 2 – 3 limes)

Garnish
1 tbsp black onion seeds or ordinary onion seeds if you can’t get the black ones

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees

Ahead of time
Prepare the eggplant and zucchini ahead of time by cutting them into 1 inch dice, leaving the skins on. Toss them in about a level dessertspoon of salt and pack them in a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate. Leave them on one side for an hour or so to that some of the bitter juices drain out.
After that, squeeze out any juices left and dry the dice thoroughly in a clean cloth

Now arrange the tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers and onion in a roasting tin sprinkle with the chopped garlic, basil and olive oil, toss it all together to get well coated and season with salt and pepper.
Place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

When you’re ready to assemble the salad, first place the couscous in a large heatproof bowl, then pour over the boiling stock, add some salt and pepper, stir with a fork, cover with cling film and leave on one side for 5 minutes by which time all the stock should be absorbed and the couscous softened.

Meanwhile cut the goat cheese into sugar cube-sized pieces.
Make up the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together into a bowl, then pour onto a serving pitcher.
To serve the salad place the couscous in a large wide glass salad bowl (it’s nice to use glass so you can see all the layers!) and gently fork in the cubes of goat cheese along with the roasted vegetables and any juices.
Next, arrange the salad leaves on top and just before serving, drizzle some of the dressing over the top followed by the onion seeds and serve the rest of the dressing in a pitcher separately.

Do-ahead · Gluten Free

Zucchini Provencal

August 24, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

This is our favorite way of having zucchini as the onions are so sweet underneath, enhanced by the parmesan cheese and herbes de provence.

Serves 4

5 – 6 medium sized zucchini, sliced on the 1/4 inch, diagonally
3 large yellow onions, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
2 heaped tsp herbes de Provence (or if you don’t have it, try dried thyme)
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
salt and pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 350F
Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan on medium heat and put in 3 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter. When the butter has melted, put in the sliced onions and stir to coat the onions in the butter/oil mixture.
Season with salt and pepper, stirring, then turn the heat to low and let the onions caramelize for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking on the bottom.
When they start to turn a lovely beige color and soften, tip them into the base of a baking dish with flat sides. (10″ by 8″ approximately)
Sprinkle about 1/3 of the parmesan cheese on top of the onions, then season with salt and pepper and sprinkle 1 tsp of the herbes de Provence over the onions.
Slice the zucchini on the diagonal, then lay in rows, just overlapping at the wide side.
Season the zucchini and sprinkle the remaining herbes de Provence and parmesan cheese over the top.
Drizzle the top with some olive oil and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the zucchini are tender and the top is browned.
Test the zucchini by pushing a fork of skewer into the thickest one.

Fish · Pasta

Spaghetti with grilled shrimp, zucchini and salsa verde

August 9, 2012February 8, 2016 Belinda

Summer is the perfect time for this recipe.You can BBQ the zucchini and shrimp but I do them on the ridged pan over two gas elements. Like this one below.

Serves 4

Salsa Verde
2/3 cup lightly packed Italian parsley leaves
3 tbsp drained capers
1 large clove garlic
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp anchovy paste
a level 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1&1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil

Rest of the dish
2 tbsp olive oil
2 zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
1&1/4lbs large shrimp, shelled and deveined
wooden or metal skewers for cooking the shrimp
3/4lb spaghetti

Put the parsley, capers, garlic, lemon juice, anchovy paste, mustard, 1/2 tsp of the salt and the pepper into a food processor, Pulse, just to chop, 6 to 8 times. With the machine running, add the 1/2 cup olive oil in a thin stream to make a coarse puree.
Leave this salsa verde in the food processor, if necessary, pulse to re-emulsify just before adding to the pasta.

Light the grill or heat the ridged pan to hot. Brush the zucchini with 1 tbsp of the oil and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp of the salt.
Grill the zucchini, turning, until just done, about 10 minutes in all.
When the slices are cool enough to handle, cut them crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces and put them in a large bowl.

Thread the shrimp onto the skewers. Brush the shrimp with the remaining 1 tbsp oil and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt.
Grill, turning, until just done, about 4 minutes in all.
Remove the shrimp from the skewers, slice them in half horizontally and add them to the zucchini

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes.
Drain. Add the pasta to the grilled zucchini and shrimp and toss with the salsa verde.

Do-ahead · Grains · Vegetable-related

Roasted vegetable couscous with a lemon hummus sauce with roast chicken with basil and lemon

August 7, 2012September 9, 2022 Belinda

Serves 2 but can easily be double, trebled…..
Try any combination of Mediterranean vegetable that you fancy.

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 3/4″ squares
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into 3/4″ squares
1 large or 2 small zucchini, cut into 3/4″ rounds, then half moons
1 small eggplant, cut into 3/4″ pieces
1 large red onion, cut into 3/4″ pieces
1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1/2″ pieces
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
handful fresh basil leaves
1 cup carton good quality hummus
4 tbsp plain Greek yoghurt
juice of a large lemon
4oz couscous

Roast the vegetables- Heat the oven to 400 degreesF. Heat a large roasting pan in the oven. Place the red and yellow peppers, zucchini, eggplant, butternut squash and red onion in a large bowl and drizzle half the olive oil over, tossing to coat evenly, season well (You may need some more oil) then tip the contents into the roasting pan.
Roast for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are completely tender and lightly caramelized, tossing from time to time to ensure the vegetables cook evenly.
About 5 minutes before the vegetables are done, quickly chop up the fresh basil and scatter over the vegetables, tossing to combine, then return to the oven to finish cooking.

Flavor the hummus- Put the hummus into a bowl and whisk in the yoghurt and half of the lemon juice, then season to taste. Cover and set aside

Make the couscous- Place the couscous in a large bowl and drizzle over the remaining olive oil with the rest of the lemon juice, stirring gently to combine.
Pour over 4 fl oz boiling chicken broth, vegetable broth or water then stir well, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes before gently separating the grains with a fork. Season to taste after fluffing and separating the couscous, then place in a pan to reheat gently, stirring continuously with a fork.
Serve with the roasted vegetables piled on top, or mixed through if you prefer and the hummus sauce on the side or dolloped on top.

This is divine served with roast chicken with basil and lemon – pouring all the juices of the chicken dish in with the couscous.

This is very fragrant with the basil and lemon flavors permeating the chicken and juices.

Serves 2 but can be doubled and trebled…

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

6 organic chicken pieces, bone in and skin on
extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic
1 large lemon
large handful of fresh basil leaves
good large glass of white wine, drinkable, so you can have a glass while you cook

Season the chicken pieces and put them into a roasting tin.
Pour over enough olive oil to moisten them and make a shallow pool in the tin.

Squash the garlic in it’s skin and tuck it in amongst the chicken. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and drop the empty shells in too.

Roast for 30 minutes in a preheated oven to 400 degrees F then tear up the basil leaves and toss them around in the chicken. Return the chicken to the oven for about 10 more minutes.

Use the couscous to soak up the juices and big chunks of good Ciabatta bread on the side.
This is one heck of a meal!!!

Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegetable sides · Vegetable-related

Easy cheesy zucchini bake

June 5, 2012March 4, 2023 Belinda

I guess I’m going for some of the easier recipes at the moment. This is simple but very effective and even the children will like this. probably something to do with the cheese!

Makes 4 – 6 servings but can easily be doubled or trebled.

2 medium sized zucchini, cut in slices or half moon slices.
2 medium sized yellow squash, cut in slices or half moon slices.
4 tbsp of fresh chopped basil. (You can use less if you’re not a huge fan of basil)
2 – 4 tbsp thinly sliced fresh scallions (spring onions) depending on taste
1/2 to 3/4 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp garlic powder or more according to your taste
3/4 cup plus another 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar, or any mixture of cheeses as long as there is plenty of flavor in the cheese.
1/2 to 3/4 coarsely grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spray an 8 x 8 (or thereabouts) baking dish with oil or non stick spray
Wash the squashes and cut into slices or half moons. Wash the basil and spin dry or dry gently on paper towels and finely chop. Slice the scallions (spring onions)
Combine the sliced squashes, chopped basil, sliced green onions, dried thyme, garlic powder, both cheeses (remember to hold back the extra cheese for the topping) and stir with the vegetables until they are well coated with the cheese and herbs and well distributed.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Put the mixture in the baking dish and bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes.

When the zucchini dish is nearly cooked through, take the baking dish out of the oven and sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese.
Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned and the zucchini melted.
Serve hot.

Gluten Free

Zucchini and black olive rice pilaf

October 6, 2011October 19, 2021 Belinda

This is a really lovely pilaf and also very easy to make.

2 medium zucchini
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced yellow onions
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 cup long grain white rice
1/4 cup (at least) pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt

Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a handheld grater. Squeeze out some of the juice from the zucchini.
In a saucepan, melt the butter with the oil over medium-low heat. When the butter melts, add the onion and ground pepper and saute until the onion is translucent, 2 – 3 minutes.
Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque and coated with the butter and oil, 3 -4 minutes longer.
Add the chopped olives, cilantro and zucchini and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds to blend the ingredients together.
Pour in the broth, add the salt, raise the heat to medium high and bring to the boil.
Cover and reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the broth, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and let rest, covered for about 5 minutes.
Then fluff with a fork and serve,